Bears

Questionable

WR Devin Hester, ankle--DNP, DNP, LIM
FS Danieal Manning, back--XXXX, LIM, LIM

Probable

LB Lance Briggs, shoulder--LIM, FULL, FULL
DT Tommie Harris, knee--LIM, FULL, FULL
DE Adewale Ogunleye, ankle--LIM, FULL, FULL
TE Greg Olsen, ankle--LIM, FULL, FULL
S Craig Steltz, biceps--LIM, FULL, FULL
DT Matt Toeaina, calf--LIM, FULL, FULL
DT Israel Idonije, knee--FULL, FULL, FULL

Arizona

Questionable

WR Anquan Boldin, ankle--DNP, DNP, LIM
LB Gerald Hayes, back--DNP, LIM, LIM
DE Kenny Iwebema, knee--LIM, LIM, LIM
WR Sean Morey, ill--LIM, LIM, LIM
CB Michael Adams, hamstring--XXX, XXX, LIM

Probable

DT Darnell Dockett, ankle--DNP, LIM, LIM
S Antrel Rolle, foot--LIM, LIM, LIM
WR Steve Breaston, knee--LIM, LIM, LIM
K Neil Rackers, right hamstring--LIM, FULL, FULL
OL Herman Johnson, back--FULL, FULL, FULL
TE Stephen Spach, ankle--FULL, FULL, FULL
CB D. Rodgers-Cromartie, finger--FULL, FULL, FULL
RB Jason Wright, thumb--FULL, FULL, FULL
G Reggie Wells, thumb--FULL, FULL, FULL

"I went 100 percent today,'' Hester said. "I'm ready to go.''

Hester was coy about whether or not he will remain as the punt returner if he's not 100 percent. It's a task that could be handled by Earl Bennett.

Hester was limping on the field as he watched Wednesday. He looked better Thursday although was still held out, and has his helmet and pads with him just now.

We'll wait and see how the official injury report looks later today, and how things go down in the desert for Arizona's Anquan Boldin.

Stay tuned.

Q: So much for the great Gaines Adams trade. Can we write him off as a bust, or is it too early? What gives. I thought he was an instant upgrade for the incredibly disappearing pass rush?

Jerome I., Chicago

A: No one promised a bang when Adams arrived three weeks ago for a second-round draft pick. He's been used sparingly vs. Cincinnati and Cleveland, and even was in on punt return against the Browns. He's still working to get acclimated to the system, the team, the coaches. Granted, the pass rush hasn't been nearly what it should be over the last few weeks, but Adams is the last person you can blame for that. The trade for him was made with the long range in mind and I'm going to keep an open mind on it. I think it was good value for a guy that scouts and coaches from other organizations said was a good pass rusher. Like I said at the time of the deal, Adams doesn't have to justify his status as the fourth pick in the 2007 draft to the Bears. He has to provided second-round value for them. I'm pretty sure he can do that. Until he gets into a steady rotation, the Bears need to count on a better pass rush from those players on the field. Adams has been a pro and isn't clamoring for playing time. Let's give this one a little time. Plus, I think he needs to hit the weight room.

In Arizona, wide receiver Anquan Boldin (ankle) remained sidelined.

Here is the second injury report of the week:

WR Devin Hester, ankle--DNP, DNP,
LB Lance Briggs, shoulder--LIM, FULL,
DT Tommie Harris, knee--LIM, FULL,
DE Adewale Ogunleye, ankle--LIM, FULL,
TE Greg Olsen, ankle--LIM, FULL,
S Craig Steltz, biceps--LIM, FULL,
DT Matt Toeaina, calf--LIM, FULL,
DT Israel Idonije, knee--FULL, FULL,
FS Danieal Manning, back--XXXX, LIM,

Arizona

WR Anquan Boldin, ankle--DNP, DNP,
LB Gerald Hayes, back--DNP, LIM,
DT Darnell Dockett, ankle--DNP, LIM,
S Antrel Rolle, foot--LIM, LIM,
WR Steve Breaston, knee--LIM, LIM,
DE Kenny Iwebema, knee--LIM, LIM,
WR Sean Morey, ill--LIM, LIM,
K Neil Rackers, right hamstring--LIM, FULL,
OL Herman Johnson, back--FULL, FULL,
TE Stephen Spach, ankle--FULL, FULL,
CB D. Rodgers-Cromartie, finger--FULL, FULL,
RB Jason Wright, thumb--FULL, FULL,
G Reggie Wells, thumb--FULL, FULL,

Hester said after practice on Wednesday that he expects to play on Sunday, and he's not hobbled out there right now quite like he was a day ago.

The best guess is they will try to get him some work in practice on Friday.

Stay tuned.

"I'm alright,'' Hester said. "I'm going to play."

Hester has 21 receptions over the last three games, the second most in the NFL over that span. He set personal highs two weeks ago at Cincinnati with eight receptions for 101 yards.

WR Devin Hester, ankle--DNP,
LB Lance Briggs, shoulder--LIM,
DT Tommie Harris, knee--LIM,
DE Adewale Ogunleye, ankle--LIM,
TE Greg Olsen, ankle--LIM,
S Craig Steltz, biceps--LIM,
DT Matt Toeaina, calf--LIM,
DT Israel Idonije, knee--FULL,

Arizona

WR Anquan Boldin, ankle--DNP,
LB Gerald Hayes, back--DNP,
DT Darnell Dockett, ankle--DNP,
S Antrel Rolle, foot--LIM,
WR Steve Breaston, knee--LIM,
DE Kenny Iwebema, knee--LIM,
WR Sean Morey, ill--LIM,
K Neil Rackers, right hamstring--LIM,
OL Herman Johnson, back--FULL,
TE Stephen Spach, ankle--FULL,
CB D. Rodgers-Cromartie, finger--FULL,
RB Jason Wright, thumb--FULL,
G Reggie Wells, thumb--FULL,

Key: DNP Did Not Participate, LIM Limited Participation, FULL Full participation

And as the Bears began preparations for their meeting with the Cardinals on Sunday, Hester was not practicing this afternoon at Halas Hall. He suffered an ankle or foot injury in the win over Cleveland and that is believed to be what has him sidelined. We'll see what kind of light coach Lovie Smith wants to shine on the issue after practice.

It was Turner, visibly upset with a lousy offensive showing following the 30-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns, who suggested that could be coming. The Bears rushed for 170 yards in the game but only because Garrett Wolfe scampered 36 yards down the left sideline in garbage time, and it was still short of the average being allowed by the last-ranked Browns defense.

The Bears were a woeful 2-for-7 in the red zone, although you can eliminate one of the opportunities as it came after Wolfe's long run.

"I don't know if we're going to exactly cut back on anything,'' Cutler said before practice, which will be starting momentarily. "We've just got to execute better. The guys know the plays. They know what they're supposed to do. We've just got to do it.''

The red zone remains a hot topic as the Bears are now tied for 25th, struggle that has prevented them from being one of the top scoring teams in the league because they're ranked seventh in red zone opportunities.

"We could do a lot of things better [in the red zone],'' Cutler said. "The players, we've got to execute, we've got to draw some stuff up and maybe attack them in a different way. But we're doing good stuff. We're having opportunities down there.

Wimbley was fined that amount by the NFL, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, for his roughing the passer hit in Sunday's game. Cutler bit his tongue on the play midway through the second quarter and said he was swallowing blood into the fourth quarter because of the play.

The hit came on third down on an incomplete pass, and extended what was the Bears' first touchdown drive in the 30-6 victory.

It's Wednesday, the start of a busy week of preparation for Sunday's game with Arizona, but let's jump into the mailbag before we get rolling.

Q: What do you think the chances are Anquan Boldin will play Sunday?

Mark B., Hammond, Ind.

A: The Cardinals said Boldin would be day-to-day on Monday, one day after he aggravated his sprained right ankle in Arizona's loss to Carolina. The injury first occurred back on Oct. 11 and as Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic points out, the Cardinals may have to make the difficult decision of sitting Boldin on Sunday to ensure that he can heal up moving forward here. No one is going to question the toughness of Boldin, who missed only two games last season after surgery to repair fractures in his jaw and sinus, a result of a vicious hit by Eric Smith of the New York Jets.

"If I'm good enough to play, I'm going to play," Boldin told reporters in Arizona on Monday. "If I'm able to run, I'm going to play football."

But Somers makes a case that Boldin is hurting the team right now and the Cardinals would be better off with Steve Breaston as the foil to Larry Fitzgerald with Jerheme Urban and/or Early Doucet getting expanded opportunities.

And that leads me back to Fitzgerald. There's a very worthwhile piece on him by ESPN.com's Mike Sando that I suggest you check out. Would you believe he's averaging just 10.8 yards per reception? That's more than three yards off the pace he was on last season. The wide receiver who obliterated the postseason record books has a long catch of 27 yards this season. Now, the injuries to Boldin have something to do with it, but defenses have long honored Fitzgerald as Arizona's No. 1 target.

"It seems like every time we try to throw it down the field, we're getting Cover 2," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "It's a guessing game."

The Cardinals, once again, don't have much in the way of a running game. As one scout said, you can go with six defenders in the box against them and not worry too often about being pounded. That gives a defense extra tacklers downfield to bring down Fitzgerald and prevent him from breaking the big one. But none of this is new. There's no new scheme to slow him down. Kurt Warner, despite the protests of Fitzgerald's younger brother earlier this season, isn't the problem.

It probably will not last all season, but if it continues for another week it's good for the Bears, who know a little something about Cover 2.

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner said he's ready to start paring back the playbook with the Bears clearly struggling seven games into the Jay Cutler era. At this point, following Sunday's 30-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field, it's fair to say the Bears aren't doing much of anything very well with the possible exception of the fact that Cutler is doing a decent job of getting the ball to Devin Hester on a regular basis.

Matt Forte, who rushed for the two offensive touchdowns, showed some signs yesterday and looked good on a 28-yard reception to pick up the game's first first down. He got in some open space and took advantage of the room to run. But on the very next play Forte's assignment was to pick up blitzing linebacker Eric Barton and he completely whiffed. Barton pressured Cutler and had it not been for a replay challenge by Lovie Smith that ruled the quarterback's arm was moving forward when he lost the ball, the play would have gone for a 25-yard loss.

At the end of the day, too, Forte (and the offense as a whole) is going to be judged by 3.5 yards per carry (90 yards on 26 carries). The Browns entered allowing 171 yards per game and the Bears hit 170 with a 36-yard run by Garrett Wolfe down the sideline with 60 seconds remaining in the game.

Turner talked about players executing afterward and he's right. Surely, his call accounted for Browns linebacker Kamerion Wimbley on third-and-goal from the Cleveland three-yard line early in the second quarter. With an empty backfield after Forte motioned out wide to the left, Wimbley came free off the left side. Tight end Greg Olsen released into the flat and left tackle Orlando Pace blocked down on right end Robaire Smith. I'm not going to venture a guess as to whose responsibility Wimbley was, but when you leave him unblocked what happens is an 11-yard sack and no shot at the end zone.

The Bears, who entered the game 19th in the league in red zone efficiency (10-for-20) were 2-for-7. Now, you can wipe out the last red zone trip because that occurred after Wolfe's run in the final minute. Fine. But 2-for-6 isn't any more acceptable. Not against the worst defense in the league.

"I'll look at it, see what we need to do to give us a chance to get better, and if we're doing too much, we'll cut back,'' Turner said. ``Obviously, we are because we're making too many mistakes. Just have to figure out what we do well, and that's what we'll do.''

1. Might not have gotten enough play coming out of the game, but the Bears did a terrific job corralling Pro Bowl return man Joshua Cribbs. His ability on special teams has been about the only offense for this moribund Browns team, and Dave Toub's units really shut him down. Corey Graham was moved to an inside position on kickoff coverage, a spot that allowed him to make more plays. Press box statistics credited him with two tackles. We'll see what Toub comes up with when he's done reviewing film with his lieutenant Chris Tabor.

Lovie Smith finally announced to the world that Josh Beekman will be the starting left guard today and Hunter Hillenmeyer will return for his 10th career start at middle linebacker with Nick Roach flipping to strong side. Marcus Harrison will start at nose tackle next to Tommie Harris, who is returning to the lineup.

The moves were made official in the pregame officials meeting that was just held.

Inactive for the Bears today:

WR Devin Aromashodu
WR Juaquin Iglesias
CB D.J. Moore
S Josh Bullocks
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa
G Lance Louis
DT Matt Toeaina
DL Jarron Gilbert

Inactive for the Browns today:

3rd QB Brett Ratliff
K Billy Cundiff
DB Gerard Lawson
RB Chris Jennings
DB Anthony Madison
OL Billy Yates
TE Greg Estandia
TE Robert Royal

There will surely be some tributes to Walter Payton this weekend in many of the various media outlets in the city as Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of his death. The Sun-Times will have a story in the Sunday edition.

The Bears are going to have a ceremony honoring the Hall of Fame running back at halftime of their game with the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field. Perhaps no athlete was a greater representative of the franchise than Sweetness. The NFL named its Man of the Year award after him following his death, a tribute to the impact he had as a player and a person.

I started at the Sun-Times a little more than 10 years ago, and remember one of my first tasks of significance being to put together a myriad of statistical packages on Payton for a special section. I never covered Payton, whose career ended after the 1987 season, and I never saw him play in person. But you couldn't miss his greatness watching on television. I am sure many of the regular readers here have terrific memories of Payton both watching him and perhaps some personal memories.

The halftime ceremony will include a video tribute. Payton's family will be on hand with his former teammate and blocking buddy Matt Suhey. Fans attending the game are being encouraged to wear their Payton jerseys.